Additional Tools

Additional Tools

Staying on the Cutting Edge of Sustainability

Fitwel Consulting-The Cost-Effective, High Impact Building Certification | Fitwel is a certification system designed by the Centers for Disease Control that includes over 55 evidence-based design and operational principals that aim to improve health for building occupants. Fitwel excludes prerequisites, allowing the certification system to be more easily applicable to both new and existing projects who are interested in the health and well-being of the building occupants. Epsten Group has Fitwel Ambassadors on staff who can help guide your project towards Fitwel Certification, as we have multiple high-profile clients and our own office.

Parksmart Consulting – Advancing Sustainable Parking Structures | Epsten Group is proud to be the Sustainability Consultant for what will be one of the first Parksmart projects in Atlanta. Parksmart is the only certification program in the world that defines, measures, and recognizes sustainable parking garages. Parking structures earn points toward Parksmart certification in three categories: management, programs, and technology structure design. Standalone parking garages and those that are part of mixed-use developments are eligible for Parksmart certification, and Epsten Group’s expert team can help guide existing and new projects alike through the process.

TRUE Consulting | The True Zero Waste Rating System The TRUE Zero Waste Rating System is a unified system that encourages focused thinking about resource life cycles so that products are reused. TRUE is low-cost and implementation can be minimal. A TRUE project’s goal is to divert all solid waste from the landfill, incineration (waste-to-energy) and the environment. Facilities achieve certification by meeting seven minimum program requirements and attaining at least 31 points on the TRUE Zero Waste scorecard. Epsten Group has TRUE Advisors on staff who can help companies and events achieve TRUE certification.

Arc | A Sustainability Benchmarking Tool Arc is a bench-marking platform for LEED certified buildings, as well as buildings, cities, and communities that have not yet achieved LEED certification. Within Arc, there are five categories that are applied to your project: Energy, Water, Waste, Transportation, and Human Experience. Data is collected and entered into the Arc platform in order to determine a performance score. The project performance is compared to global data collected and maintained by USGBC. Epsten Group has helped multiple O+M projects get started and re-certify within the Arc platform while also aiding documentation of additional plans, policies, and procedures to achieve higher levels of certification. Whether your project is a building, city, or community, Epsten Group can help you benchmark your project using Arc.

SITES Consulting – The Sustainable Sites Initiative | Used by landscape architects, architects, engineers, developers and other project stakeholders, SITES is a comprehensive rating tool for developing sustainable landscapes. SITES recognizes the critical importance of landscapes in the built environment and seeks to help improve them to benefit project owners, building occupants, communities and the environment. SITES is available to locations with or without buildings, and together with registered landscape architects, Epsten Group has helped projects earn this distinction, including one of the first in the City of Atlanta. Projects earning SITES Gold also automatically achieve all of the Sustainable Sites points within the LEED rating system.

BREEAM USA In-Use | BREEAM USA In-Use is an assessment designed for existing buildings, and is a notable alternative to the LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance program. Under BREEAM USA In-Use, building investors, owners, and occupants drive sustainability through operational efficiency and effective building management. Serving as consultants and assessors, Epsten Group can help ensure BREEAM USA In-Use success for a variety of building types.

In addition to a wide variety of sustainable consulting services, Epsten Group is pleased to offer a full range of sustainable design services.